Our Song
by EvilEmmaEvans
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Twisted.
1. The Song

Our Song

Chapter 1: The Song

**Summary:** Jo and Danny are driving around Green Grove and she realizes that they don't have a song. Established Janny relationship.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twisted or the song. The song is 'Our Song' by Taylor Swift.

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone  
In the front seat of his car  
He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel  
The other on my heart

I look around, turn the radio down  
He says, "Baby is something wrong?"  
I say, "Nothing I was just thinking  
How we don't have a song" and he says

Our song is the slamming screen door  
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window  
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow  
'Cause it's late and your mama don't know  
Our song is the way you laugh  
The first date man, I didn't kiss her and I should have  
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen  
Asking God if He could play it again

I was walking up the front porch steps  
After everything that day  
Had gone all wrong or been trampled on  
And lost and thrown away

Got to the hallway, well, on my way  
To my lovin' bed  
I almost didn't notice all the roses  
And the note that said

Our song is the slamming screen door  
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window  
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow  
'Cause it's late and your mama don't know  
Our song is the way you laugh  
The first date man, I didn't kiss her and I should have  
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen  
Asking God if He could play it again

I've heard every album, listened to the radio  
Waited for something to come along  
That was as good as our song  
'Cause our song is the slamming screen door  
Sneakin' out late, tapping on his window  
When we're on the phone and he talks real slow  
'Cause it's late and his mama don't know  
Our song is the way he laughs  
The first date man, I didn't kiss him and I should have  
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen  
Asking God if He could play it again  
Play it again, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone  
In the front seat of his car  
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin  
And I wrote down our song


	2. Riding Shotgun

Our Song

Chapter 2: Riding Shotgun

It has been a year since Danny came back to Green Grove after being released from Juvie. It's been a long and hard year for him and me, but we've somehow managed to make it through. My dad still isn't that fond of Danny, but at least he's lightened up enough to allow Danny and me to date. With Rico's help, the three of us were able to clear Danny's name of the charges my dad was trying place on him regarding Regina's murder. Apparently, Scott and Archie had killed her. They both had some weird and creepy fascination with Regina, and with her going after Danny, they weren't pleased and tried to get her to see reason by "talking" to her. Yeah, they didn't do much talking that night. They took turns raping her and then beat her to death, taking her necklace and selling it to pay for some lesser jewelry for Lacey and Sarita. They're idiots. But at least Danny's been cleared. And like I said before, we've had a long and hard year. But, things have been looking up for us. Danny got a car, so know we don't have to walk everywhere during our senior year. That's actually were this story starts…

"Jo, Danny's here!" My mom, Tess, called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Be there in a second!" I called back. I wasn't ready yet, Danny always had a knack for showing up just a little bit early; he did it on a regular basis and I still hadn't learned to start getting ready sooner.

As I came down the stairs a couple minutes later, Danny and my mom were in the middle of a conversation.

"… I can't believe that you two are starting your senior year of high school today. Are you ready?" My mom asked.

"Are we ready for what mom; ready to get on with our last year of school so that we can get out of Green Grove?" I asked.

"That is not what I'm asking Jo. I'm asking if you're ready to start the last year of school before starting the rest of your lives." My mom replied.

"That's the same thing Mrs. Masterson. Didn't Jo tell you that we're thinking of moving away from Green Grove after graduation?" Danny asked as he put his arm around my shoulder and gave me a kiss on my temple.

"She hadn't, no, but I'm sure she was getting around to it." My mom said as she eyed me.

"Sorry, I wanted to tell you and Dad together, but since Danny and I decided to move away, I've always been asleep by the time that he gets home from work, and more times than not, either Dad's already gone to work by the time I wake up, or I'm running late for work so I haven't had a chance to mention it." I apologized.

"Well, as long as you were actually going to tell us before you started packing up your room; I guess that it's alright." Mom said.

"We were." Danny said with a nod.

"Does your mom know about this plan?" Mom asked Danny.

"She knows that we were thinking about it, but not that we had actually decided to move. She still wants so badly to be the "coolest mom on the block" that telling her that her only son won't be in Green Grove anymore would make her upset. So I need to approach that conversation delicately." Danny replied.

"Just promise me that you will tell her prior to graduation. I don't want her to blame me for you two leaving." Mom said.

"If Karen tries to blame you, I'll deal with it Mom." I commented.

"Okay, well, you two should get going. You don't want to be late for your first day of school." Mom said before giving me a kiss and a hug and waving goodbye to Danny.

Once Danny and I were out of the house and at his car, he finally turned to look at me fully. Slowly spinning me, Danny took in my outfit.

"Is that really what you're wearing for the first day of senior year of high school?" Danny asked.

"Is there a problem with me wearing this?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all, I'm just surprised and I wanted to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or something." Danny said as he gave me a kiss.

Leaning back against the passenger side of Danny's car, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.

"You know, usually, when I walk up and see you two kissing, I'm okay with it, since it was during the summer. But since we have a limited amount of time before we have to be at school so that we are not late, I highly suggest you two cut it out and get going into the car." Rico said as he walked over to us, causing us to pull apart and for me to blush.

Rico had been my best friend since 8th grade, yet no matter how many times he came up while Danny and I were kissing, it always made me blush. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any romantic feelings for Rico what-so-ever, but we're so close it's like he's my brother, so having a guy like that in your life walk up while you're kissing your boyfriend, it can get embarrassing, no matter how many times it happens.

"Sorry man. I can't help it. I mean look at this girl." Danny said as he stepped back from me and showed off my outfit to Rico.

It wasn't like I was dressed in a ball gown, but I was dressed differently than I normally am. I was wearing a sun dress that came down to my knees and then a pair of flats. It was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I had wanted to try something new, and if it didn't work, I would be going back to wearing jeans and t-shirts, but I would definitely still be wearing the flats, they were surprisingly very comfortable.

"You look great Jo." Rico said with a smile and hug before turning to Danny. "You, yeah, you don't look as great as she does. I mean come on, aren't you guys the kind of couple that coordinates your outfits? She dresses nicely, so you dress nicely kind of thing." He said.

"No Rico, we aren't. Danny had no idea that I was going to be wearing this. Besides, the rugged look works for him." I replied.

"Speaking of first day of school outfits, Rico, what are you wearing?" Danny asked as he eyed our best friend.

"It's dark wash jeans with a vest, button up shirt and a tie. What's wrong with that?" Rico asked.

"Nothing, it looks good on you." Danny commented.

"Thanks man. But really, we need to get going or else we're going to be late for school." Rico said indicating the car.

As I went to open the passenger side door, Danny stopped me.

"Allow me." He said with a cheesy smile. "M'lady." He added as he took my hand, kissed it, and helped me get in.

"How do I not vomit around you two? You're really lovey-dovey today." Rico commented as he climbed into the back seat.

"You're immune to our lovey-doveyness. We've never hid it from you. So you're just used to it by now." I replied from the front seat.

"She has a point Rico." Danny added.

"She always does." Rico replied.

After closing my door for me, Danny jogged around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat. As we were driving, we all made small talk. There weren't too many things that we could talk about since we had all hung out pretty much every day during the summer, and since school hadn't officially started yet, so half way to school, we ran out of things to talk about. When we reached school, we were unpleasantly surprised to see a handful of news trucks blocking us from getting into the parking lot. It got worse when one of the news anchors saw that Danny was driving.

**End Chapter 2**


	3. With My Hair Undone

Our Song

Chapter 3: With My Hair Undone

When the news crews saw that Danny was driving, they all hurried towards the car. I couldn't hear all of what they were saying, but I did catch pieces of it. Apparently, someone had been found dead in their home, strangled to death, and a jump rope had been used to strangle the person. I turned and looked back at Rico, and he was just staring at me silently. We both turned to look at Danny and he shook his head and shrugged. It was already bad enough that we couldn't get into the parking lot, but the fact that they were crowding the car and trying to get us to roll down our windows to ask us questions about it was making it 10 times worse. When Danny inched forward, the news crews moved to the sides and just walked along the sides of the car. Quickly grabbing my phone, I dialed my dad's number and put the call on speaker so that Danny and Rico could hear it.

"**Jo, what's wrong?**" My dad asked when he picked up after the second ring.

"There are news crews blocking the school parking lot. They are shouting at us about another murder involving a jump rope and they're trying to get us to roll down our windows to ask questions. We can't get past them. Is there anything that you can do?" I replied frantically.

"**Do not roll down the windows. Do not answer any of their questions. I will be there shortly.**" My dad said.

"What about school? They aren't letting us through and we're already running late. If we don't get past them soon, we'll be late for class." I questioned.

"**If need be, I'll give you all notes explaining what happened. If any of your teachers have questions, have them call me.**" My dad explained.

"Thanks dad." I said.

"**You're welcome sweetheart. I'll be there soon.**" My dad said before he hung up.

Shakily putting my phone back into my backpack, I turned to the guys.

"We might as well do what he says." Danny commented.

"_Danny, why did you kill Shreya Stanton so soon after being cleared of the Regina Crane murder?_" One of the news reporters asked after banging on Danny's window.

Danny and I looked at each other with wide eyes. There was no way that Danny would do that. He had been wrongly accused of killing Regina, and now just because a jump rope was used in another murder, he was the instant suspect again? I couldn't look at him. It wasn't because I thought he did it, I know that he hadn't, but if I continued to look at him, I would start to revert to where I was at this time last year; thinking that he was a lunatic freak.

"Jo, I didn't kill anyone." Danny said quietly.

"I know you didn't Danny." I replied.

"Then why aren't you looking at me?" He asked.

"I don't want to start thinking of you as the lunatic freak again." I said in a low voice.

"We've cleared your name before Danny; we'll do it again if we need to." Rico added from the back seat.

"Thanks Rico." Danny said with a small nod.

"_Danny, what do you have to say about this murder?_" another reporter asked.

Danny was losing it. I could tell by the way he was gripping the steering wheel. I took his hand in mine and laced my fingers through his and squeezed. Giving me a grateful smile, Danny brought my hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss. Before any of us could say anything to each other and before any more reporters could ask Danny any questions, we heard sirens coming up from behind us. Danny, Rico and I turned around and I sighed in relief when I saw my dad's car pull up.

"_Chief Masterson, how are you handling the fact that your daughter is dating a known killer?_" a reporter asked my dad. I was horrified.

"_That is none of your concern._" He replied. "_Any one still surrounding this car that is not a Green Grove police officer will be arrested for harassment._" He yelled.

I was surprised at how quickly the reporters and camera operators backed away from the car so that the officers that had shown up with my dad could surround it and let us into the parking lot. Once we pulled into a parking spot, and got out, my dad came over to us.

"I don't have time to write notes for you all, but like I said earlier have them call me." He said.

"Thanks dad. And Danny and I have to talk to you tonight. So please try not to work too late on whatever is going on." I said before giving him a quick kiss and then running towards the school.

By the time that Danny and I got to our lockers, the late bell had already rung. Cursing under my breath I shoved my bag into my locker, grabbed my binder and took off with Danny right behind me. Luckily, we had Psychology 2 with Mrs. Fisk, so we wouldn't get into too much trouble for being a couple minutes late.

"Ms. Masterson, Mr. Desai, thank you both for joining us. Please take your seats." Mrs. Fisk said indicating the exact same seats that Danny and I sat in the year before.

"Sorry for being late Mrs. Fisk." I apologized.

"Let's not waste any part of class time talking about it. But you and Mr. Desai do need to stay for a couple minutes after class and explain to me why you were both late, and I expect a real reason other than you two were making out with each other behind the school building or in the parking lot." She said before turning to the blackboard.

Danny smirked at me as he took his seat and I walked to the back of the room and took my own. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. It wasn't a secret around the school that Danny and I were dating, but to be called out by one of our teachers for possibly making out was extremely embarrassing; even more embarrassing than having Rico interrupt when Danny and I were making out. After everyone calmed down after Danny and I took our seats, Mrs. Fisk began her lesson.

"Today, we will talking about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or more commonly referred to as PTSD. Does anyone know what can cause a person to develop this disorder?" Mrs. Fisk asked and Danny looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a sad smile.

"Post Traumatic Stress can be caused by exposure to a traumatic event." I replied while looking down. "That's very good Jo. Does anyone know someone in their life who has suffered or who is suffering from PTSD?" She asked looking around the classroom at all of the students.

Danny raised his hand slowly. I had hoped he wouldn't.

"Would you care to share with the class Danny?" Mrs. Fisk asked.

"No." Danny answered quickly.

"Then why did you raise your hand?" Mrs. Fisk asked.

"You asked who knew of someone in their live who has suffered, or who is suffering, from PTSD. I know someone, but that doesn't mean that I want to share who it is." He replied.

"Why don't you?" She questioned.

"I just don't want to. It isn't my place." He answered.

"Does anybody want to give some examples of traumatic events that could cause PTSD?" She asked the class.

"Do you want the causes of PTSD, or the causes for the symptoms of PTSD?" A girl asked from the doorway.

"You must be Alexandra Stanton." Mrs. Fisk commented with a small smile.

'_Stanton? That was the last name of the woman the reporter asked Danny about why he killed her. They must have been related. God I hope if they that she doesn't blame Danny for this. He really didn't do anything.'_ I thought to myself. If this girl was related to the woman who was killed, then things were not going to end well.

"I am. This is Psychology 2, right?" Alexandra asked.

"It is, I'm Mrs. Fisk, please come in and take a seat." Mrs. Fisk replied offering the empty seat in the back of the class to the girl; Archie's seat last year.

"Did you want the causes of PTSD or the causes of the symptoms for it?" Alexandra asked again.

"If you would like to share both, you are more than welcome to. We have nothing against learning too much in this class." Mrs. Fisk replied.

"In order to develop symptoms of PTSD, one has to experience or bear witness to a stressor event where death, serious injury or a threat to themselves and/or others occurs. The person who develops the symptoms tends to have feelings of intense fear, horror or powerlessness." Alexandra explained as she sat down.

Danny and I shared a look. This girl seemed to know a little too much about PTSD, and for us, that was not a good thing.

"Very nicely put Alexandra." Mrs. Fisk complimented.

"You can call me Ale." Alexandra said quickly. "And thank you Mrs. Fisk. My boyfriend just recently started suffering from the disorder. We got the information from his doctor." She added.

"Would you like to explain what kinds of things might be the cause of PTSD?" Mrs. Fisk questioned.

"The most common scenarios are from family violence, evolutionary psychology, genetics, epigenetics, risk factors, military experience, drug misuse or foster care." Alexandra replied.

"Thank you Alexandra." Mrs. Fisk said with a smile.

"You can call me…" Alexandra started to say.

"I heard you the first time, but when I call students by their first name, it's the first name that their parents gave them, not by a nickname." Mrs. Fisk interrupted. "Now, we are going to start a project. Please pick a partner. Danny, Jo if you two pair up I still expect to see decent work." She added and I put my face in my hands.

"Shouldn't that be Daniel and Josephine?" Alexandra asked in a low voice, but I still heard her.

"No, actually; it shouldn't be "Daniel and Josephine"; Danny's parents actually named him Danny, and my parents actually named me Jo. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked.

"No, I don't have a problem with that; it's just that usually when a guy goes by 'Danny' his given name is Daniel, and when a girl goes by 'Jo' her given name is Josephine." Alexandra retorted.

"Well, nothing about Danny and I can be considered 'usual'." I replied back.

Once everyone had paired up, Mrs. Fisk stood up and looked around. As we waited for her to speak, Danny was whispering things in my ear and I couldn't help but smile. When Mrs. Fisk's eyes landed on us, Danny moved away from my desk slightly.

"Now, this project might be hard for someone of you, but I still want to see an effort put forth. What you will be doing with your partners is researching a case where PTSD could have happened, or did happen, and dig a little deeper into why. You can use any means necessary to do your research, but you must make sure that you cite everything that you use." Mrs. Fisk explained. "You may begin." She finished before sitting down at her desk.

"What do you want to research?" Danny asked as he brushed a strand of my hair back behind my ear.

"I don't think we have to research a case Danny. Use me as the subject." I whispered.

"Jo, I'm not going to do that to you. We can find another case; one that has no connection to Green Grove or to us. We are not going to risk you having nightmares and anything else that was associated with your PTSD." Danny whispered back and I just stared at him.

"Mrs. Fisk, I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I speak to my daughter and Danny for a moment?"

I looked over to the doorway where my dad was standing. He had a grim look on his face, and he probably had some news on what the new case was about, since the media obviously thought that Danny was already involved.

"Chief Masterson, do come in. Of course you can talk to them, but I do have to ask that you make it as brief as possible. They are supposed to be figuring out a case where PTSD could have happened, or did happen." Mrs. Fisk replied.

"I will do my best to not keep them for too long." My dad said as he motioned for us to go out into the hall.

Once we were out of the classroom, Danny turned to my dad.

"Is everything okay sir?" Danny asked.

"I'm afraid not Danny. The murder that was committed, it seems to be a copy cat case to yours." My dad explained before my vision blurred a little and I lost balance.

This could not be happening.

**End Chapter 3**


	4. In the Front Seat of His Car

Our Song

Chapter 4: In the Front Seat of His Car

I don't remember how exactly I ended up in the nurse's office. The last thing that I remember is Danny and I talking about what we were going to do for our project in Psychology. After that it's just a black slate. When I open my eyes it's to see Danny sitting in the chair next to the bed in the nurse's office with his head in his hands. As I go to sit up, my vision swam and I fell backwards with a groan and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Jo? Are you awake?" Danny asked.

"Define awake." I mumbled.

"Are you conscious enough to talk to me?" Danny asked.

"I'm functioning, so I guess so." I replied.

"What is the last thing that you remember?" He asked.

"That would be us talking about our project in Psychology." I replied.

"Jo, you blacked out. That's not good."

I hear my dad's voice close by, but I can't move to see where he is, and it's too bright to open my eyes.

"When did I black out?" I asked.

"I came into your class and asked your teacher if I could talk to you and Danny. When I told you that the murder that the media was trying to ask you, Danny and Rico about this morning is looking like a copy cat case to Danny's you lost your balance. If it wasn't for Danny catching you as you fell, you might have hit your head." My dad replied.

"A copy cat murder case to the one that Danny committed? You mean that there is someone out there that used a jump rope to strangle someone else because they saw all the media attention Danny got last year?" I asked.

"That is, unfortunately, what I mean; but because Danny is the only one that knows every detail of his crime, it means that I have to bring him for questioning." My dad said and I could tell that he had gone from looking at me to looking at Danny.

Without opening my eyes, I waved my arm around trying to find some part of Danny to grab on to. Once I found his shoulder, I held onto him as I slowly sat up. As soon as I felt by body sway again, I felt Danny move behind me to steady me.

"Sir, does the questioning have to happen now?" Danny asked.

"It has to happen today, if that's what you mean. But I would like you to take Jo home before you come to the station. I've already called Tess and let her know that Jo isn't feeling well and is coming home." My dad replied.

'_Great. First day of senior year and I end up having to go home early because I blacked out.'_ I thought bitterly.

"Rico knows what classes you both have, right?" My dad asked.

"Sir, I know Jo's schedule. After I bring her home and go down to the station, I can come back here to pick up her assignments." Danny offered.

"I'm not sure how long questioning will take Danny. I would feel much better if Rico just got them all." My dad commented.

"We can just get our missed assignments tomorrow dad. I'm sure our teachers will understand why we weren't there today." I interjected.

"Are you sure Jo?" Danny asked.

"If I have to go home early because I blacked out, then I'm fine with just getting my assignments when I come to school tomorrow." I said.

"Okay, you can get your missed work tomorrow." My dad said with a sigh.

Once my dad signed me out of the office, he and Danny walked me to Danny's car. There were still some reporters straggling in the parking lot, but for the most part they had dispersed. When the few who were still there saw us walking out of the building, they rushed over, but my dad pushed them away.

"Chief Masterson, what's wrong with your daughter? Is she not feeling well because she knows that her boyfriend is serial murderer?"

"First of all, what's wrong with my daughter is none of your concern, and if you continue to harass either of them directly or indirectly, I will more than happy to escort you to the precinct in handcuffs," my dad growled pushing Danny and I faster toward the car.

Once Danny and I were safely in the car, my dad nodded to Danny. I don't know what that nod was for, and at the moment, I didn't care. I just wanted to get home. As Danny drove me home, he held my hand in his. There had been a couple moments when I had looked over at him and he had looked fine, but when we pulled up in front of my house, he looked shaken. When he turned to me, I almost lost it. He looked so defeated.

"Jo, you believe me, right? I didn't kill anyone after my aunt. I can deal with the suspicion from everyone else, but I don't know what I'll do if you are against me in this." Danny said.

Taking his face in my hands, I leaned over the middle consul and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"Danny Desai, I know that you didn't kill anyone. I might have thought that you were a lunatic freak last year, but I never gave up on you. I was by your side the entire time to help prove you innocent in Regina's murder, and I will continue to be by your side, as long as you will let me. I love you Danny, and no copy cat murder is going to change that. Go and talk to my dad at the station, I'll be fine. We can work on the project when you and my dad get back tonight." I said when I pulled back.

"You sure you want to work on the project tonight? You might still have residual symptoms of PTSD. I don't want to put you in a place where you have to relieve those memories." Danny said softly.

"I'll be fine Danny." I replied before grabbing my bag from the floor at my feet and opening the door.

"Here, let me help you up to the house." He said as he shut off the car and got out to hurry around to my side.

"Does Rico know we left school?" I asked as he helped me out of the car.

"I sent him a text saying that you had to leave because you weren't feeling well and that I had to go to the station to answer questions." He replied.

"Okay, good." I commented. "Danny, do we have to tell my dad tonight?" I asked after a moment or two of silence.

"Since you told him that we had something to tell him tonight, I think it would be best." He replied.

"I guess you're right." I said with a sigh.

"I know. I'm always right." He said with a smirk.

"Please don't Danny. Not now." I said as my body froze.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked as he moved from my side to in front of me to look me fully in the eyes.

"That's what Lacey said right before you came out of the house after killing your aunt." I said in a small voice.

"I'm so sorry Jo. I didn't know that." Danny said as he pulled me into a hug.

"Danny, Jo, is everything okay?" My mom asked as she came out of the house.

"We're fine mom." I said with a weak smile.

"I made a stupid comment is all Mrs. Masterson." Danny added with an apologetic smile towards me.

"Jo, why don't you come inside and I'll make you some tea, Danny needs to get down to the station to talk to your father." My mom said after a couple minutes of silence.

"I'll see you tonight Jo. I hope you feel better." Danny said as he kissed my cheek. He never kissed me on the lips when one or both of my parents are clearly watching. But if it was something like this morning, after we had left the house, or if we were at school, then he has no problem with kissing me fully.

"Thanks Danny." I said before I made my way into the house.

"Are you okay Jo?" My mom asked after she closed the door behind us.

"I'm fine. I just passed out when dad said that there is someone who copied Danny's killing." I replied.

"Why don't you go up to your room and get some rest. I'll get the tea going." My mom said before walking into the kitchen.

**Danny's POV**

After I was sure that Jo was safely inside the house, I went back to my car. I knew there was nothing for me to worry about since I hadn't killed anyone in six years, but the fact that Jo's dad wasn't 100% a fan of mine, made me a little nervous. Starting up the car, I made my way down to the station. When I arrived, I didn't have to wait long before Chief Masterson called me into his office.

"Danny, what all can you remember about the layout of the room that you killed your aunt in?" Chief Masterson asked.

"Do you want what it looked like before or after the murder?" I asked.

"If you could please explain what the scene looked like after the murder that would be good. It would help in relation to the current murder." He replied.

"Sir, weren't you the one that arrested me? Shouldn't you know what the crime scene looked like?" I asked.

"I do know what it looked like, and as much as I want to give you the benefit of the doubt for my daughter's sake, this crime scene looks way too familiar. I just want to know what you can remember from the time you killed your aunt until the time that I took you into custody." Chief Masterson replied with a sigh.

"Well, um, she had been staying in the guest room at my house. In front of the window that faced the street, there was a desk where she had quite a lot of random documents. Usually everything was organized when it came to her, but in her struggle to pull the rope away from her neck, she was flailing her arms and the documents got scattered. The chair that she had been sitting in had been knocked over and had landed by the side of the bed. Since I was an inch or two taller than my aunt when she was sitting down, the ligature marks on her neck from the rope were mostly straight back, but they did curve up just slightly. When her body hit the ground, she landed a couple feet away from the chair. The rest of the room, like the bed, and the stuff on the dresser and everything looked like she had been getting ready to leave in a hurry, so it was quite disorganized for her." I explained. As much as I wanted to forget what that room looked like, there was nothing that I could do to get it all out of my head.

After I was done talking, I just sat there, looking at Chief Masterson over his desk while he stared back at me. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not, but I tried not to dwell on it. It seemed that this was more of a consultation rather than an actual questioning, so it didn't seem like I was a person of interest, but I wasn't going to rule anything out. After a couple minutes of staring at each other, he pulled out a handful of pictures and handed them to me. As I started to look through them, I realized that the Chief had been right to say that it looked like a copy cat case. Almost everything was similar, but there were some glaring differences that stuck out at me. While the media had been told that the room had been in disarray, no specifics had been given, so the placement of some things was off.

"Sir, am I really supposed to be seeing these?" I asked.

"No, but I need your insight on this Danny." Chief Masterson said slowly.

"Well, the position of the body, the location of the chair and the bed are off from what the room looked like after I killed Tara." I commented.

"Are you absolutely sure that those are the only things that are off?" He asked.

"The ligature marks on the victim's body are completely angled up instead of straight back and then up." I added.

"Thank you Danny. That's all what I thought was off, but I wanted to be sure." He said with a grim look on his face as I handed the pictures back to him.

"You're welcome Sir. And if there is anything else throughout the investigation that you need help with, I am here to do anything that I can." I offered.

"I know; but for now, let's get home to Tess and Jo." He said with a sigh.

"Yeah, let's go." I said slowly.


	5. Got One Hand Feel

Our Song

Chapter 5: Got One Hand Feel (on the Steering Wheel)

As I drove back to the Masterson's house, I tried to get the images out of my head. And it's not just the pictures that I just saw that are running through my head. It's the images from when I killed my aunt that are mixed in there as well. As I pulled to a stop in front of the house, all that I can think about is the look that will be on Jo's face when she finds out just how similar the two cases are. I know that she said that she was on my side for as long as I allowed her to be, but there was still a small part of me that believed that there was still a small part of her that thought of me as the lunatic freak that she no longer knew. Killing the engine of my car I had to force myself to think of something other than this copy cat murder. The first thing that popped into my head was an image of Jo in a beautiful white dress, walking down the aisle towards me with her arm looped through her dad's. I really hoped that Chief Masterson wouldn't be too mad about what we were going to tell him tonight.

"Are you going to come inside Danny?" Chief Masterson asked as he knocked on my window.

"Yes Sir. I just got caught up in my thoughts." I admitted as I took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car.

"Were you thinking about anything in particular?" He asked.

"This copy cat case Sir, it's making me doubt feelings that I'm usually 100% certain about." I said as we walked up to the front door.

"Feelings, huh? Would those be your feelings or Jo's feelings?" He asked.

"More hers than mine, but mine are in there as well." I admit with a sigh.

"Danny, I might not have been very fond of your relationship with my daughter when you got back last year, but I see the way that she looks at you; I see the way her face lights up at the mere mention of your name and how she sits up just a little bit straighter when you walk into a room. There is no reason to doubt Jo's feelings for you Danny. She loves you; I'm not sure why, but she does." He said as he put a hand on my shoulder and I turn to him. "I also see the way that you look at her. Most teenage guys your age would look at a girl that they are dating like she is a piece of meat that they can trample on or use for sex; but not you. You look at Jo like she is a person and it's a look of adoration and love. I have grown to like you again Danny, so don't hurt my daughter by letting doubts question how you two feel about each other." He added.

"Sir, please know that my intention back then was never to hurt Jo, or Lacey. I was trying to protect them. My aunt… I overheard her muttering to herself the morning that I killed her. She mentioned not leaving any loose ends. That the three of us would be dealt with and that she wouldn't have to worry about us being witnesses. All I could think of was making sure that Jo and Lacey weren't hurt by her. I didn't stop to consider that what I was about to do would be me hurting them. I hate that I left them traumatized. And I am doing everything that I can to make sure that that doesn't happen to Jo again." I said.

"I know. I never said that you intentionally hurt her; just be over aware of how your let your doubts interrupt your life." He said.

"Is there a way that I can make them not interrupt my life?" I asked.

"Don't think about them. Hold on to what you know and don't give them the option of interrupting your life." He said after a minute as he opened the front door and we walked in.

"Dad? Danny? Is that you?" Jo called out from the top of the stairs as I closed the door behind me.

"Yes sweetheart, it's us." Chief Masterson replied.

"I just got this text." She said as she rushed down the stairs.

**Jo's POV**

As I came down the stairs I tossed my phone to my dad before putting my face to Danny's chest. I felt his arms go around me in a protective way and I started to cry. As my dad read the text to himself, I clung to Danny's shirt and I felt him tense up.

"Sir, what does that text say?" Danny asked.

"You don't want to know Danny." My dad replied.

"Yes Sir, I do. After graduation, Jo and I are leaving Green Grove and if there is someone out there that is threatening her, I need to know so that I can protect her." Danny said and I gasped. That was not how we were planning on telling my dad at all.

"When were you two going to tell me about this plan, exactly?" My dad asked.

"Tonight at dinner. Dad, please, just tell him what the text said." I pleaded with him.

"It is a threat on Jo's life. Here, read it for yourself." My dad said with a sigh as he handed my phone to Danny. I stare at the phone because I'm afraid to see Danny's face.

**I'm coming for you next.**

"You are not leaving my sight." Danny said as he held me as close to him as he could.

"Not all of our classes are the same though." I said in a small voice.

"And those classes are the ones that you have with Rico. I'll call him later. We'll meet up in between classes and make sure that the other one has you before we leave. No one is going to hurt you again Jo. I promise." Danny said as he pulled me in for a kiss.

I was shocked. Danny had just kissed me fully with my dad standing not 5 feet away. I wanted to pull away because my dad was standing there and it was weird to have him watching us kiss, but I couldn't. Danny wouldn't let me. However, something did cause us to pull apart, and surprisingly, it wasn't my dad. There was a loud knocking on the front door that did it.

"You two back up." My dad said and we moved towards the kitchen. "Who is it?" He called.

"It's Rico Sir. It's really urgent that I come in." Rico said through the door.

I look up at Danny and give him a confused look. School wasn't supposed to be out for another hour and a half and Rico wouldn't skip class for anything. I clung ever harder to Danny's shirt.

"Jo, baby, its okay. It's just Rico." Danny whispered in my ear as he rubbed my back gently.

"That's the thing Danny, it is just Rico. But he doesn't skip class for anything and there's still another hour and thirty minutes before school is out. Rico shouldn't be here right now." I replied. Apparently he hadn't understood the look I had given him.

"Come on in Rico." My dad said as he opened the door just enough for Rico to slide in.

"Oh thank god you're okay." Rico said before he walked over to me and pulled me into a hug.

"I just blacked out Rico. No damage done." I said slowly as I pulled away.

"No, I got a text during passing period. Here look." He said as he pulled his phone and showed it to Danny and me.

**Say goodbye to your little friend. She's a goner.**

"Dad, you have to do something." I said quickly as I clung to Danny again as a fresh wave of tears started to fall.

"Okay, none of you are going anywhere without a protective detail. Until this murder is solved, you three are going to have two detectives with you at all times." My dad said as he pulled out his phone and started to call the station. "Jo, where's your mother?" He asked.

"When Danny dropped me off earlier she said that she was going to get some tea going and suggested that I go take a nap, but she never came up to either a) give me tea, or b) let me know that the tea was ready. The text was what woke me up." I explained.

"I want all of you to stay together for a couple minutes. Do not answer the door for anyone. I'll be right back." My dad said and we all sat down on the couch.

"I'm really freaking out right now Danny." I said in a small voice.

"I know Jo, I am too. But your dad is going to take care of everything and we will be out of Green Grove in 9 months time and this will all be behind us." Danny replied.

"Take me with you, will you?" Rico asked off handedly.

"You really want to come with us Rico?" I asked him.

"Even when your dad does figure this out, I will be constantly worried about both you, I might not be as prepared to protect you as Danny is, physically anyway, but by being with you guys, I would know that you were safe and I would be able to rest easier at night." Rico said.

"I KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN THERE DESAI! COME OUT AND FESS UP!"

"What the hell is Lacey doing here?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Danny replied.

"What should we do?" Rico asked.

"We are going to do exactly what Chief Masterson told us to do; we are going to stay here and not to open the door for anyone." Danny replied. "Even if that person is Lacey." He added.

"Come on Desai, I can hear you talking. Just come out here and fess up to what you did and let this town live in peace again." Lacey called out as she continued to pound on the door.

"That is not happening Lacey. Danny didn't do anything." I called back.  
"Stop being blind Jo. He's a serial killer and he needs to pay for the crimes that he has committed." Lacey replied.

"He did pay for the CRIME that he committed. He didn't kill Regina; he didn't kill whoever ended up dead this time; so leave him alone." I yelled.

"Jo, calm down." Rico said softly.

"Oh, I am as calm as I can be Rico." I commented.

"What is going on in here?" My dad asked as he came into the living room followed by my mom.

"Lacey is outside and is trying to get Danny to go outside and confess to the murder." Rico said quickly as Danny pulled me onto his lap.

"Lacey, you need to go home." My mom said going over to the door.

"I'm not leaving until he confesses to what he did." Lacey said and I could just see her folding her arms across her chest.

"Let me try an approach." Rico said as he got up and walked over to the door. "Lacey, it's Rico. You need to understand that this whole thing has gotten a lot bigger than Danny having killed someone in the past. Yes, it's possible that Danny could have done this, but think about it. What motive would he have to kill someone random that he has no connection to? Danny didn't commit this murder, some else did. And now, whoever did commit it is threatening Jo's life. So you need to come down off of your high horse and stop living in the past." Rico said.

"Let me in." Lacey demanded.

"No. The only people are allowed in this house are the ones that actually care about Jo and Danny. And you are not one of them." Rico said.

"Danny, say something, please. You haven't really said anything since she got here." I muttered.

"I don't know what to say Jo. It hadn't even occurred to me that Lacey might suspect me of this. I was just worried about what you thought of me." Danny replied.

"Danny, I don't like the fact that you doubt my feelings for you. It makes me think that you are insecure about our relationship." I said.

"I know, and it's bothering me too that I doubt your feelings this much, but you have to admit, I have good reasons to doubt them. I scarred you, emotionally, for the rest of your life and when I came back last year, you thought that I was a lunatic freak. You didn't trust me then, and I have given you a lot of reasons since then not to trust me, so it is hard for me sometimes to believe that you have such strong feelings for me." Danny admitted.

"Danny, I love you. Do you really think I would have suggested leaving Green Grove after graduation if I didn't?" I questioned.

"I was surprised that you wanted to leave. I know that when I came back, I had my reasons for not wanting to be here, but those reasons went out the window as soon as I saw Scott trying to get your shirt off at Regina's party. I knew that I had to stay so that I could protect you. It just never really clicked that you needed to leave Green Grove too." Danny said.

"Okay, enough negative talking. Rico, would you like to stay for dinner?" My mom asked.

"Yes please Mrs. Masterson. I would love that." Rico said.

"Okay, why don't you kids go upstairs are relax while Kyle and I start making dinner." She said and we all nodded.

"We'll get through this together Jo. Don't worry." Danny muttered in my ear as we walked up the stairs to my room with Rico following behind us.


End file.
